Runes Make Their Mark
by Immortal Instruments lol pun
Summary: When 2 girls mistakenly find some Nephilim, their lives are turned upside down as they get lost in the uprising of Valentine's brother!   the first chapter is short, it get's better as you read on
1. Xtra Terrestrial

Mariah and Emarna were on their way to their favorite club, X-tra Terrestrial. It was the coolest club in the city and they loved it for two reasons. 1. It had awesome music and lights and 2. It reminded them of their favorite books, **The Mortal Instruments. **They'd been trying to "become" that book ever since they finished it. Writing runes on their arms with permanent marker and going to this club hoping for some Shadowhunters to show up was about as close as they could get.

"Think tonight's the night they'll show up?" Emarna said. Emarna was like three friends in one, strong, caring, and wild. She was like the muscles, heart, and backbone while Mariah was the brain.

"I don't know," I replied, "I have a feeling that something will happen tonight…I just don't know what."

"Maybe we'll get up on the spotlight stage and sing Evanescence songs," she said with a devious smile.

"Yes," I said sarcastically, "cause that'll happen."

"You never know…" Emarna replied, "You should let me do the bravery rune on you! Maybe it'll help with your stage fright!"

"For your information, I did put it on and I don't think it'll work. Even a rune can't help me."

"Well we'll see about that, I signed us up!" she said with a satisfied smirk after looking at my horrified face.

"You're a demonic, no, diabolic, evil best friend! And-"

"We're here," she announced, "Come on, we should get ready!"

"Oh, great," I muttered, "This is going to suck…"

As we walked in I could feel the familiar rush of music and the smell of 100 over-perfumed people dancing on the floor. There was some boy band playing a song by Linkin Park. Emarna ran up to her boyfriend, Mike.

"Hey, sweet thang," he said to her, "what evil little plan have you come up with to torture Mariah today?"

I sighed as I caught up to them, "She signed us up to sing!"

"Oh, Emarna, you didn't," he said as he pulled her in front of him, "You know Mariah doesn't like to sing-"

"Yeah, but I've heard her and she's really good, she shouldn't keep that bottled up."

"Uh, guys? I'm right here," I said as we made our way through the crowd to the back, "You know I don't like it when you talk like I'm not her-"

Mike put his hand up, "Look, I'll go up there for you alright? I'll sing with Emarna."

"No," Emarna cut in, "Mariah will sing with me, won't you Mariah?" They both looked at me.

"Yes…I will…but," I added, "If I think they don't like us or if we embarrass ourselves, we're never coming here again, you understand?"

"But what about the Nephilim-"

I cut her off. "Do you understand?"

She looked at Mike then at me. "Yes, I understand."


	2. The Institute

**A/N: Hey peeps, I'm figuring out this site quite slowly and with Jen (Fragrance-Of-The-Paradox)'s help. The last chapter wasn't very long so I'm gonna try to make this one longer, big twist coming up, hope you like it! :D **

My stomach was holding many butterflies. No, it was holding more than butterflies. It was holding a war between Dumbledore and Magnus Bane. As I walked into the bathroom dreading what was ahead, all I could think was _'Jace wouldn't be scared,' _and _'what have I got myself into?'_

I looked in the mirror and saw my tan face. The combination of being tall and thin with blue eyes and long blond hair I guess you could call me 'pretty.' I've always wanted to marry someone blond with brown eyes. Unlike Emarna, who liked bronze hair and deep blue eyes. How she ended up with Mike, however, I have no idea. Mike was a red-head, complete with freckles. They'd been together 2 weeks and I don't think it'll last. Emarna likes to date bad boys. Mike, was not a bad boy.

I was always a little jealous of Emarna. She has straight, jet-black hair in a pixie cut and chocolate brown eyes that melded in with her pupils. My hair was wavy. I guess wavy isn't bad, but I like my hair straight. That completely ruins the fact that I refuse to use any hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, or anything like it. Right then Emarna walked in, disrupting my thoughts.

"What are you doing in here? We're going to be late!"

"I was just-"

"Nevermind that. We've gotta go!" she yelled as she pulled me out of the bathroom.

"I am serious. I think I am going to die." I whispered to Emarna.

"Don't worry we'll do fine." She whispered back just as the music to Imaginary started. "Here we go!"

"I'm gonna die!" I murmured back as the curtains were drawn.

"Oooh oooh oooh ooooh. Papeeerr flooowers. I linger in the doorwaay. Of alarm clocks, screaming monsters calling my nammee. Let me stay. Where the wind will whisper to meee. Where the raindrops, as they're falling tell a storyyy…In my field of paper flooowwers, and caaandy clowds of lullabyyyy. I lie inside myself for-" I stopped singing suddenly choked off. The music stopped.

"What is it?" asked Emarna.

"Him" I replied simply.

"Him? Him, who?" I pointed to a boy in the middle of the crowd. He was blonde with short hair that came up to a spike in the front. Even from here, I could see his deep, chocolate brown eyes. "Oh! Wow. He is _cute!"_

"I thought you didn't like blonde guys…" I said, in a daze.

"No, not _him_, him!" she replied, pointing right next to him as they started making their way through the crowd. "Isn't he handsome?" I've got to admit, he _was_ kinda cute. He had bronze hair and extremely noticeable, dark blue eyes.

"Shadowhunters," I whispered, catching a glance of a rune beneath the blonde's sleeve. It wasn't a fake, marker one, but one made with a stele. "Do you think it's Jace and Alec?"

"No, Jace's hair was clearly described as 'gold,' just as Alec's was black"

"Darn, that would have been sweet." I said, barely staying on my feet. Just as the two guys got to us I collapsed and caught a glimpse of Emarna falling next to me. I looked up into those same dark brown eyes.

"Hi," he said, "My name's Seth."

"Seth…" I repeated as I fell into darkness.

….

I woke up in a all black room with two huge windows on the left side. There was only a bed, with black sheets and comforter, and a black couch across from the bed pointing at a flat screen TV. I sat up in bed and noticed a boy standing by the window.

"Where am I?" I asked as he turned around. It was the blonde boy. "Seth," I said, remembering his name.

"You're at the Michigan Institute." He replied. I sat up straighter.

"I'm at an institute? You mean Shadowhunters are real? I mean really real? Not just a book? Are the books true? Jace and Clary and Magnus? And runes? All of it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, no, not just a book, yes, they're all real and so are runes. Does that answer your questions?"

"All except for that last one." I said after counting on my fingers.

"Well than, yes, it's all real." I jumped out of bed.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Can I meet them? Are they still alive?"

"Well, it's all the way in Manhattan but I guess I could figure something out."

"FIST PUMP!" I yelled as I pumped my fists in the air.

"Won't you and Emarna's parents wonder where you went?"

"No…we'll just call them and tell them we're going to New York as a vacation with each other. They won't care." I said with a devious smile. "Wait…Where's Emarna, anyway."

"She's in Gabriel's bedroom. This is mine, you like?"

"Uhh…it's pretty cool, I guess. It's kinda plain…and black…"

"Can we go see Emar-" I got cut off as they walked in. Emarna was wearing dark jeans and a tye-dye, lime green and blue T-shirt. I looked down to see that I was wearing a huge, guy-shirt and some baggy shorts. "What the hell am I wearing? "How did I get in this? Where did you guys get those clothes?" I added at the end, noticing an identical pair of dark jeans and shirt. Except my shirt was purple and lime green.

"Uhh…" Seth said uncomfortably, "Look…You know how Shadowhunters are really tough, skilled, precise, careful-"

"Yes," I cut him off while glaring at him, "So, how did I get in these clothes, and whose are they?"

"They're mine, all right! We have extra clothes here but no pajamas so I put those on you-"

"You what! You mean-" This time _he _cut _me_ off.

"I didn't look! Or do anything, I swear!"

"Swear on the Angel." I said quietly.

"But I-"

"Do it!"

"I can't."

"And, why is that?" Suddenly, Gabriel and Emarna burst out laughing. "Why are _you_ two laughing?"

"You guys are just like Jace and Clary." Emarna said at the same time Gabriel said "He can't because we can't break a swear on the Angel. Which means he _did _look!" Seth looked horrified.

"Who's side are you on?" he said.

"Obviously, not yours." Emarna cut in.

"What did you wake up in, Emarna?" I asked.

"Same as you." She replied. "Wait…Where did mine come from?" Seth laughed.

"You can't blame this one on me!" he said. She turned to Gabriel, who was getting extremely red in the face.

"Gabriel?" she said.

"Okay, yeah, I did. But in my defense-"

"Nevermind that. Who's idea was it?" I cut in. Now they both looked embarrassed.

"We were thinking what to do and said it at the same time." Replied Seth.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you two would think of tha-" I was cut off by someone bursting through the door.


	3. A Treacherous Climb

**A/N: I'm one that updates fast so PLZ READ and REVIEW my stories! –not to seem pushy or anything- Thank you to Fragrance-Of-The-Paradox for helping me find an ending in my last chapter and for showing me how to do the author's note. I DO take in ideas from everyone, I read all the reviews, so plz review! I'm finding this fan fiction thing to be pretty fun. I also have noticed that a page and a half on 'Word' is a LOT smaller on the site, so, all of my chapters will-from now on-be longer. Three pages on 'Word.' That way, people actually have something to read!**

"Seth! Gabriel! Come quick, there's a-" The mysterious new girl stopped. I could tell that she was Gabriel's sister; they both had the same hair and eyes. Although, at the same time, I was reminded of Isabelle. She was wearing a tight black tank top and a short jean skirt with black leggings and some high-heeled sandals. '_I wonder if Gabriel's gay.' _I thought, suddenly and randomly. "Who are they?" she asked.

"These are two more Nephilim," said Gabriel, "we found them at X-tra Terrestrial."

"How can you tell if we're Nephilim?" Emarna asked.

"Because, you both have the marks and-" I cut Seth off.

"The marks? These are just runes we drew on ourselves." Seth and Gabriel looked at each other and then back at us.

"But you can see us," Gabriel tried, "just like Clary could see Jace, Alec, and Isabelle."

"He's got a point, you know." said Emarna. Suddenly, the girl seemed to remember why she had come to get the boys.

"There's a demon on the road! Unlike any I've ever seen! It's purple!" when she saw our bewildered faces, she continued. "It must be some sort of greater demon or something, it's got three legs and stands like a human, it's really fat, like overflowing fat, it's so fat that that it has rolls of fat that come stick out like the rings of Saturn. It's head is _super_ small and molds in with the neck like a stump. It has long arms that stick out the sides and they look like purple skin over bone, and the face has five black holes in it, I think they're eyes, and a huge mouth that makes it's whole head go up and down like a puppet! I've never seen anything like it!"

"We better go check it out," replied Gabriel, "Oh, and sis, this is Mariah and Emarna. We should put them through training and see if they really are Shadowhunters." And with that, he and Seth ran out the door. The girl turned to us.

"I'm Oprella, follow me." She said.

…..

When we got to the training room, I immediately knew that it was a training room. There were mats all over the floor and beams across the ceiling with bungee cords hanging from the roof.

"Wow," I said, "This is so cool…What's first?"

"First, we'll practice balance. We'll go on those beams," Oprella replied as she pointed at the ceiling, "and then you guys will jump off and do flips after about an hour. Training clothes are in that room," she pointed towards a door I hadn't noticed before, "Get changed and meet me on the beams in 15 minutes." She walked towards the door.

"But how are we supposed to get up on the-" Emarna was cut off as the door slammed shut behind her.

"Jeez, attitude much?" I said. Emarna gave a half-hearted laugh.

"I'm Oprella and I can tell you what to do but not how to do it. Now climb up the walls like Spiderman and meet me on the ceiling beams, bye!" she said, mimicking Oprella. I laughed.

"Nice," I replied, "We should go get changed before Opera gets back."

"Opera?" Emarna asked.

"It's my new nickname for her, you like?" I replied.

"Yeah, mind if I use it?"

"Uhh…I don't know…How about I'll use it and then you can use it too."

"Okay…We should get changed."

As we walked in the room, we were bombarded with loads and loads of clothes. There were tank tops of all colors and white pants that reminded me of hospital clothes. They were all over the place, in no order at all.

"You'd think that with all the extra time on their hands they'd have this place organized." Emarna said.

"Maybe they've been hunting a lot of demons lately." I replied

"Or maybe Sebastian came back to life and is on a rampage-" I cut her off.

"We don't know that, the fourth book isn't out yet. Maybe Valentine had a cousin named Marty McGraw." We laughed.

"Marty McGraw? Mardi Gras! Oh my gosh, that would be so funny!"

We each found a pair of white pants that fit and a tank top. I had found a black one that made my blue-gray eyes and blond hair stick out. Emarna, on the other hand, picked out a light, yellow shirt to make herself look like a bumblebee.

"What do you think? Am I bee material?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we better find a way up on the rafters." I replied.

As we walked back out to the training room we saw Oprella standing on the rafters.

"Oh, great," I muttered, "I hope Opera didn't hear us in the-"

"You shouldn't talk about things like that," she called down, "Valentine's brother could very well be our death."

"What are you talking about?" Emarna replied, "The books never mentioned Valentine having a brother, what's his name?"

"Well don't you know? You're the one who mentioned him in the changing room."

"Marty McGraw." I whispered.

"It's a good thing you mentioned him too," she continued, "The new Council has been so caught up in making new, fairer laws that everyone forgot about Marty…and his daughter." She added at the end as an afterthought."

"So, not only did Valentine have a brother, which we said cousin, by the way, he also had a niece?" I replied.

"Yup, her name is Christmas. You should see the pair of them, very colorful…Now get up here, we need to train you guys."

"Girls," Emarna corrected, and was awarded with a glare, "and how are we supposed to get up there?" Oprella put her face in her hands.

"You take the ladder." She said, pointing at one of the walls. It had several juts of wood sticking out that were obviously supposed to be the rungs of a ladder.

"Oh…Well we didn't see that before." Emarna replied, walking towards the ladder. I followed her. As soon as she put her weight on the bottom rung, it snapped off. Oprella laughed.

"This is the first test, making it up here alive" she said with a devious smile.

"What? That's gonna kill us!" said Emarna.

"Here, let me go first." I replied, pushing past her.

I put a little weight on the second rung, it creaked. The first was laying in pieces on the floor.

"Hurry up," Oprella called down, "I don't have all day."

"Shut up, Opera" I yelled at her. She looked stunned.

"Did you just call me Opera? As in the old-fashioned, long note-holding, weird people music?"

"Yes,yes she did." Replied Emarna. I smiled.

"Ok," I muttered to myself. I put one foot on the rung and my hands on another. I jumped up on the rung and started to shift my weight from hand to leg to other hand to other leg. Amazingly, the ladder steps didn't break. I grabbed the next step and, still shifting my weight, hauled myself up. I went up three more steps like that.

"Ten more to go," I said to no one in particular. I put my hands on the next rung. Unfortunately I put too much weight on my left leg. The rung crashed down, leaving me hanging by my hands. _This is too much weight on my hands_, I thought immediately and let go of it with my left hand to reach up for the next one. I grabbed on and pulled myself up higher. There was a large gap by my feet, nothing to use as a foothold. This didn't stop me from digging at the wall with my bare feet.

I hauled myself up another step. _Help me! _I cried out in my mind, my face was a mask of concentration. I wasn't going to show any sign of weakness in front of Opera. Another step, and another. I finally got my feet back on the rungs. I sighed, this was a mistake. The tiny little intake of breath, the slight movement of my flat chest was all it took to unbalance my weight again. The steps crashed down. There was already a five-foot gap between them.

I grabbed the third to last rung, pulled myself up and grabbed the next. I was very surprised to look up into Emarna's face. She grabbed my wrist and helped pull me up.

"Wha- How'd you get up here?" I said, my eyes wide in wonder.

"I took the stairs." She replied, jabbing her thumb behind her. There was, in fact, a metal staircase built in the darkest part of the room-exactly where I didn't see it.

"Well, well, well," Emarna said, "Looks like you both have the potential of a Shadowhunter. Emarna has good sight and brain to look for another option. Mariah, you have good strength and persistence. You will both continue the program tomorrow."

"What? But I thought that we were going to practice balance and flips up here. And-"

"You mean to tell me that you made us change into these clothes just to see how we would get up to the rafters?" Emarna said, cutting me off.

Oprella smiled an evil, devilish smile. "Of course I did. We'll work on balance and stuff tomorrow now let's go eat, I'm starved" We both shot her a glare.

"Ok," I said politely but dripping heavily with sarcasm, "See you at dinner…Opera." She gave me a devil look, and then took off down the stairs.

**Hey guys, sorry about the delay. My brother's been hogging the computer! I can't wait to get started on the next chapter, not sure when it'll be up. Plz review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Drama Filled Dinner

**A/N: Wow, it's been a really long time since I last updated. Sorry 'bout the delay! Of course…I might be more encouraged to keep going if I actually got some reviews *coughs* hint *coughs again* hint. Well I guess that's all I have to say…Review and give me your thoughts, any suggestions?**

When we got to the dining hall we froze. Gabriel, Oprella, Seth, and a middle-aged woman were all sitting there-staring at us. Oprella wore an evil smirk on her face, and the rest of them looked quite unhappy.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" said the strange woman, standing up.

"I believe it's our two, very late, guests" replied Oprella, with fake innocence dripping from every word. I could almost taste the venom emanating from within her.

"We're very sorry," Emarna said, flushing a deep crimson. I, however, remained unchanged. I don't blush or even get pale. I'm also terrible at smirking, I envy anyone who can. This fact made me dislike Oprella even more, if it were possible.

"We weren't told we had to be here a certain time," I added giving Oprella such a piercing stare that even she sank down a little in her chair. I gave myself a small triumphant smile, I was the master at glares and stares.

"Well than," the woman replied, "Now that you're here, sit down and we can begin eating. I'm Evelyn, by the way."

"Hello Evelyn," I said as I sat in the open chair next to Seth, Emarna took the one next to Gabriel and blushed with a shy smile. _This is so weird! _I thought, _Emarna never gets like this around a boy! _"I'm Mariah and this is Emarna."

"So I've been told." Evelyn replied, sitting back down.

We were served by monkeys with three eyes and pointy teeth. They brought out a five-course meal with everything you can imagine! Ice cream, chicken, turkey, roast, potatoes, corn, peas, cookies, and so much more! It seemed never-ending! We ate in uncomfortable silence, with me wondering what the little creatures were. _I don't remember them in any of the Mortal Instruments books…_I was lost in thought when Emarna suddenly broke the silence.

"So what did that purple, demon, person thingy want?" she asked.

"Well," Seth started, "I think it wanted a ice cream of some kind, or maybe it was a warning that Marty McGraw and his daughter were rising, or something else. I'm not sure, there was a lot of gurgling involved."

"What?" Oprella gasped, "McGraw and his daughter are rising? This is really bad! We're still trying to calm down from Valentine's attack! Why would they-"

"It would be the perfect time to attack," I mumbled, "when everyone is weak…"

"Of course!" Seth added, "Get us when we're weak! That's it Mariah!" He gave me a large smile that would've made me blushed, had I been able to. Oprella glared furiously at me, she obviously had been trying to get that look from Seth for a very long time. I smiled evilly at her and then turned back to Seth. We looked into each others' eyes and I thought I felt a click deep within me, I smiled.

"It makes sense…" said Gabriel, snapping us out of our momentary connection. Seth looked down, and I thought I saw a little pink come to his face. "But why? They've always been happy with us before. And they didn't object to the reformation of the Clave."

"We shall discuss this later," Evelyn put in as she rose from her place, "Run along and go to your rooms. I need to send a message to Idris, this could be very critical information." We rose and began to walk out of the room. Evelyn went out a door on the other end of the hall.

"So," I asked, "Who's that?"

"Our mother." Said Gabriel, "Me and Oprella, at least." He added hastily and looked away from Seth.

"She's also our tutor." Seth said, not noticing the comment," Taught us everything we know."

"So, where're your parents, Seth?" Emarna asked. I looked at her, astonished that she would say something so rude. Seth's eyes lost their merry sparkle and clouded over with memory.

"I don't know." He said finally. "They left me here when I was little, about 2 or 3, and told Evelyn to protect me and that they'd be back as soon as they were done 'fixing the terrible mistake' they made when I was born."

"Oh," Emarna replied, looking down at her toes, "I'm so sorry."

"Well don't be." He said angrily, I jumped, "It was their decision and I'm sure they were trying to do what was best for me." Oprella patted him awkwardly on the back of his shoulder. He shrugged off her hand, jogged ahead, and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"Now look what you've done!" she said venomously, and stalked into her own room, also slamming the door but not quite as hard as Seth had. We looked at Gabriel who had concern in his eyes as he looked past us to the doors in which the two had gone.

"Not to be inconsiderate or anything," said Emarna as Gabriel looked down at us, "But, where are we going to sleep?" He took a deep breath and walked to his room. We followed silently behind him.

"Here," he said, opening the door for us, "You two can sleep in here tonight."

"But where will you sleep?" I asked quietly, still shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere. It had hurt, inside, when Seth's face had flooded over with grief and memory.

"Don't worry about me," he replied, also quiet, "I'll sleep on the couch or somewhere."

"Okay," I replied, glaring at Emarna. She was looking down at the floor. _Good!_ I thought, _She deserves to be ashamed for once in her life! She's always being inconsiderate to others whom we've just met. Prying into their personnel life and past with rude remarks such as that, that had just happened._Gabriel walked slowly down the hall and turned the corner. As soon as I couldn't hear him anymore I turned on Emarna.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I yelled as I stalked into the room, "That was so inconsiderate! And, and Rude! And-"

"I know." She said quietly, sitting down on the king sized bed.

"What?" I said, my voice diminishing a little.

"I know!" She said louder, "I know and it was wrong for me to do that and I'm sorry, okay?" Tears were beginning to stream down her face. "I bet now they hate me, all of them, even Gabriel!" When she said his name, her voice cracked.

"Oh Emarna," I said, guiltily aware of my previous, angry thoughts, "He could never hate you, I saw the way he looked at you, I think he likes you!" She sniffed and wiped her face on her shirt.

"Really?" she replied, looking up from her perch on the bed.

"No doubt about it! And Oprella already hated us so there's not really a difference there."

"Yeah…" she agreed, "But I probably ruined the chance for you and Seth, though" I opened my eyes wider, shocked, then calmed down again.

"I'm not sure there ever was a chance." I replied solemnly and looked away.

"That's not true and you know it!" she said, the humor beginning to grow in her voice. I stood up and began to undress, spotting some pajamas-probably Oprella's- on the corner of the bed. As I put those on and lay down in the bed, opposite the normal way to lay in a bed, Emarna threw a pillow at me. She got dressed in the pajamas that were left and laid down the right way on the other side of the bed.

"Night." I said sleepily.

"Good night, Mariah" she replied, yawning. I hadn't known we were so tired until now. I fell quietly into a dreamless sleep.

**Heyy! Hope you liked it! Please review and gimme your thoughts! Real drama in this chapter and more to come! Read on!**


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